SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Bill Gates previews his next 20 years on ’60 Minutes’
May 13, 2013, 7:34 AM | Updated: 9:56 am
This quote from Bill Gates is inside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle. That's where Gates is focusing his attention for the next part of his career and life. (Linda Thomas photo)
(Linda Thomas photo)
What are your plans for the next 20 years of your life?
Bill Gates has his next two decades mapped out.
“You’re going to spend the next 20 years of your life trying to eradicate disease,” Charlie Rose said to Bill Gates in an interview on “60 Minutes.”
“Yup. That’ll be the majority of my time,” said Gates.
Gates was profiled on “60 Minutes” on Sunday. The show took a look at what the billionaire Microsoft co-founder is doing these days at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
Through the work of his foundation, Gates hopes to eradicate Polio by 2018, Tuberculosis in six or seven years, and Malaria in the next twenty years. He says he’s excited about the work because it feels doable.
The show also hears from wife Melinda Gates, who talked about some of the first things that attracted her to Bill. When asked what she liked about him, Melinda said it was his curiosity, his optimism about life, and his belief that he could change things.
“He believed that clearly at Microsoft. He was changing the world at Microsoft and he knew it.”
Another thing Rose asked is how Gates finds a balance between being chairman of a major company, founder of a huge foundation, and being a father.
“I don’t mow the lawn,” Gates replied with a laugh.
